Canada's Medical Laboratory Professionals Celebrate Week of Awareness

/CNW/ - The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) is proud to celebrate National Medical Laboratory Week, which runs April 20th to April 26th. Since 1985, CSMLS has sponsored this special awareness week to highlight the vital role of medical laboratory professionals in Canada's health care system.

HAMILTON, ON, April 21, 2014"Lab professionals are very proud of their role but their work is done behind closed doors so the public does not really understand how valuable it is" says Natalie Campbell, CSMLS President. "The contributions of these often unseen professionals are incredibly important to the health care system."

Over 1.2 million lab tests are performed on a daily basis in Canada and each one tells a story. Lab tests are crucial tools regularly used by medical practitioners to diagnose, monitor and treat patients. Each test provides vital information that guides medical decisions. Without lab tests, and the professionals to conduct them, quality patient care is impossible.

This year's theme is Born Lab and reflects that being a medical laboratory professional is more than a career choice, it is a calling."These individuals are passionate about their role and their contribution to patient care," says CSMLS Chief Executive Officer, Christine Nielsen. "It's in their DNA and they are truly born to do it."

Across the country, medical laboratory professionals will be holding events and setting up informative displays at local hospitals and private laboratories.Joining this nation-wide celebration will be Medical Laboratory Technologists, Diagnostic Cytotechnologists, Clinical Genetics Technologists and Medical Laboratory Assistants.

For more information on National Medical Laboratory Week and medical laboratory professionals, visit www.bornlab.ca.

The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science is the national certifying body for medical laboratory technologist and medical laboratory assistant, and the national professional society for Canada's medical laboratory professionals. Incorporated in 1937 as the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technologists, the society has over 14,000 members in Canada and in countries around the world.